Nadia Enchassi
About Me Palestinian and Mexican by blood, American by birth, Muslim by soul. Journalist by day, Sooner / Thunder fan by night. Both my cultures and my religion have made me the person that I am today. I am an Oklahoma City, Okla. native of Palestinian and Mexican origins. I am trilingual, knowing the English, Spanish and Arabic languages. And, I was born and raised Muslim. My birthday is April 14, 1993, and I am the middle child with four siblings. People have been intrigued by “where I’m from” ever since I can remember. My answer would always automatically just be “from Oklahoma.” I never failed to get the follow up question of “where I am really from.” I guess my tan skin, dark-colored hair and large eyes made me stand out in the crowd. Later on, I began covering as part of my religion, making me further stick out. It doesn’t surprise people to hear me speaking some Arabic. My fluent, accent-less and grammatically correct English occasionally does. My first language of Spanish seems to be a shock factor to most, though. Once people learn of my backgrounds, they find me oddly fascinating. A few times, in response, I’ve gotten “like Shakira?” who is also half Arab and half Hispanic, but from Lebanon and Columbia. Other times, people simply couldn’t believe it. There have been a couple instances where some people were speaking Spanish about my family and I, and I took the initiative to respond, in Spanish, to let them know that we understood them and that they were wrong about whatever misconceptions they were going on about. Experiences such as these have made it almost fun to break barriers and clarify stereotypes. But, there have been other instances with not so happy endings. One time, in particular, an older Caucasian female scuffed at my family and I for the way we look. She went as far as to say that “we needed go back home and what we wear is un-American.” I wasn’t ready to defend myself yet. I’ve heard similar stories before, but I never thought I, myself, would actually have to someday. So, she was left ignored. The lack of knowledge hurt. And, now, I only wish that I could have said something like “what she was wearing was probably made in China.” Arab Roots My father, Imad, was born and grew up in the Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon along with his six siblings. After living through the massacres in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, he moved to America at the age of seventeen, where he began his higher education, career, family and life. My paternal grandfather, Said, passed away before I was born, but he was Palestinian, hence me being part Palestinian. My paternal grandmother, Nematt, is Syrian, and her maiden name is “Adas.” She was difficult to contact overseas, but I do know it means “lentils” in some Arabic dialects. I also have family in Jordan and other countries. However, our last name “Enchassi” roots from an old city in the country Egypt. It also means “pear” in some Arabic dialects, so apparently we really like our vegetables and fruits. In any case, my father’s side of the family, my Arab half, is all over the Middle East, which is something I see as a privilege. Many people don’t get the chance to travel even outside their states. Luckily, having family around the globe allows for experiences such as staying in Lebanon for 3 months during every other summer and visiting the Al-Aqsa mosque in Palestine a few times throughout my lifetime. It’s well known that the Middle East isn’t the safest of places currently. Still, thankfully, we manage to survive each visit. Hispanic Roots My mother, Judith, was born and grew up in Mexico along with her four siblings. Like my father, she moved in her teen years for a better life – “The American Dream.” They met here. My maternal grandfather, Andres, is from Durango, Durango, and his last name and my mother’s maiden name is Aguilar. This last name is very common in the Hispanic world. There are a few different narrations of its origin. It roots come from the Spanish word for “eagle,” which is "águila.” The shields used by noblemen of the surname showed an eagle, as well as the Mexican flag. My maternal grandmother, Maria, is from Guadalajara, Jalisco, and her maiden name is Madrigal. This last name is fairly common in the Hispanic world as well and also has a few different narrations of its origin. In addition to my already diverse “salad bowl,” this side of my family is Catholic. Not only are they on my mother’s side, which kids are always closer to than the father’s, but most also live close by, allowing me to grow up alongside them, unlike my father’s, who’s mostly overseas. Some elders on my mother’s still live in Mexico, and I visited quite often when I was younger. It’s been a while, however, because of its recent downfall. Nevertheless, I find all of this as equally of a privilege. Race, Social Class and Gender Hopefully, it’s apparent what role race has played in my life by now. As for social class, it’s never been as apparent of a role in my life. Fortunately, my family’s neither the poorest of the poor nor the richest of the rich. Income has definitely increased from generation to generation along with education but so have prices. At the end of the day, there are always times of struggle and times of leisure. And, as for gender, I’ve never really thought about it until just now. I think, just as our family’s social class has progressed from generation to generation, so have gender roles. It’s notable to see the change from the traditional, older males and females to the modern, younger males and females in the family. Summary The mixture of both cultures and religions has made me an overall well-rounded and very accepting and appreciative person of “differences.” The unusual thing about everything is that they aren’t that different whatsoever. Main cultural values, such as family orientation and traditions, are similar at the core. And, religious values, such as being truthful and respectful, are pretty much universal. Even the modest dress code was alike back in day, seeing as Mary was always covered, nuns cover and so do a lot of other women when going to church. There are little things here and there that remind me “opposites attract.” For example, when being lectured, my mother insists on eye contact, meanwhile my father insists I lower my gaze, vice versa being considered almost rude to each. All in all, I am proud of my family’s history. I am even more excited for our future. It’s hard to pinpoint how I would like to be remembered. I’m passionate about a lot of things – my culture and religion, but also my education, work and volunteer experiences and all of the people involved along the way. Essentially, I hope all of my efforts will one day result in a successful career in the news media field. I’m not set on a medium yet - newspaper, radio, television, online, etc. I just know what I want to dedicate my life to - serving my community (and being both a Sooner and Thunder fan). Category:Students